Image processing apparatus generating an image processing flow for each segmented block of image data and corresponding, image processing method, and storage medium storing program instructing a computer to execute the method

1. An image processing apparatus comprising: a segmentation unit configured to segment image data into a plurality of blocks; a discrimination unit configured to discriminate an attribute in each of the segmented blocks; a generating unit configured to select at least one image processing module for each attribute in accordance with the discriminated attribute and the content of image processing made to correspond to the attribute, and to generate an image processing flow for each block by use of the selected image processing module or modules; a determination unit configured to determine whether or not the generated image processing flows can be constructed in an image processing area; and a constructing unit configured to construct the image processing flows in the image processing area when it is determined that the image processing flows can be constructed in the image processing area as a result of the determination, and when it is determined that a processing area of the image processing flows cannot be constructed in the image processing area as a result of the determination, the constructing unit selects an image processing flow having an image processing module which is not contained the other image processing flows, to construct the selected image processing flow in the image processing area such that the processing area of the image processing flow is included in the image processing area.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the constructing unit preferentially constructs an image processing flow for a block with one piece of attribute information among the plurality of image processing flows, in the image processing area.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the constructing unit allocates blocks which are not constructed in the image processing area to an image processing flow including image processing modules of the blocks which are not constructed in the image processing area.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the attribute includes any one of an image scanned by an image scanner, a picture, a character, and a graphic.

5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the image processing flow includes any one of background removal processing, color conversion processing, density correction processing, filter processing, halftone processing, and smoothing processing.

6. An image processing method comprising: a segmentation step of segmenting image data into a plurality of blocks; a discrimination step of discriminating an attribute in each of the segmented blocks; a generating step of selecting at least one image processing module for each attribute in accordance with the discriminated attribute and the content of image processing made to correspond to the attribute, and generating an image processing flow for each block by use of the selected image processing module or modules; a determination step of determining whether or not the generated image processing flows can be constructed in an image processing area; and a constructing step of constructing the image processing flows in the image processing area when it is determined that the image processing flows can be constructed in the image processing area as a result of the determination, and when it is determined that a processing area of the image processing flows cannot be constructed in the image processing area as a result of the determination judgment, the constructing step selects an image processing flow having an image processing module which is not contained in the other image processing flows, to construct the selected image processing flow in the image processing area such that the processing area of the image processing flow is included in the image processing area.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium on which a program for making a computer execute an image processing method is stored, the image processing method includes: a segmentation step of segmenting image data into a plurality of blocks; a discrimination step of discriminating an attribute in each of the segmented blocks; a generating step of selecting at least an image processing module for each attribute in accordance with the discriminated attribute and the content of image processing made to correspond to the attribute, and generating an image processing flow for each block by use of the selected image processing module or modules; a determination step of determining whether or not the image processing flows can be constructed in an image processing area; and a constructing step of constructing the image processing flows in the image processing area when it is determined that the image processing flows can be constructed in the image processing area as a result of the determination, and when it is determined that a processing area of the image processing flows cannot be constructed in the image processing area as a result of the determination, the constructing step selects an image processing flow having an image processing module which is not contained in the other image processing flows, to construct the selected image processing flow in the image processing area such that the processing area of the image processing flow is included in the image processing area.